Lehi Sports
Falcon girls soccer splits pre-region matches
The Skyridge girls soccer team posted a 3-3 record in their preparatory matches ahead of the start of league play this week.
Aug. 6: Skyridge 3, Copper Hills 0
“We had a great first match against Copper Hills that gave us a lot of confidence in terms of seeing what our potential is,” said Coach Toby Peterson. “We were able to move the ball collectively as a team, maintaining possession 65 percent of the match.”
The coach said that the field conditions influenced the possession number drastically and it took his players some time to get used to it.
A combination between senior forwards Rachel Boren and Cambria Lee started the scoring. Boren was able to work the ball to the Grizzly end line and drop it to Lee who was waiting at the top of the 6-yard mark. She finished it off with ease six minutes into the game.
The second goal of the match came 43 minutes later and just seconds after sophomore forward Cambri Condie checked into the match. Junior midfielder AJ Beard recognized the opposingback line was flat and Condi was in position to break through.
Beard sent the ball through the window and Condie collected itand was one-on-one against the Copper Hills keeper, avoiding her as she buried the ball in the net.
In the final minute of the game, junior defender Oakley Brower was dribbling across the top of the 18-yard line when she saw Lee free, also at the top of the 18.
She passed the ball, but instead of taking the shot with pressure that had stepped with the pass, Lee stepped over the ball, letting it drop at the feet of senior midfielder Reganne Poll, who was sprinting towards the face of the goal. Before the goalie could adjust, Poll drove the ball to the back of the net.
“All of this is exactly what we wanted to see but it would be almost criminal if I didn’t mention how impressive our defense was in front of our own goal,” the coach said. “They shut down Copper Hill’s momentum every time they attempted to sneak something past us.”
The Grizzlies got off eight total shots and only two were on frame. Senior keeper Kait Meyer, feeling the effects of the 100-degree heat, powered through the discomfort to clean up everything that did get through. “This was a total team victory,and I couldn’t be prouder of these girls,” Peterson said.
The Skyview match was the first of a three-day tournament. “We started out strong and we were able to see our game plan come together just as we had anticipated,” the coach said.
Lee, Boren, Condie and Beard were all able to get goals in this match rather quickly. “This bought us some time to test some aspects of our plan,” Peterson continued. “Skyview was able to sneak one past our defense in the first half and one in the second half as well.”
Aug. 9: Ridgeline 4, Skyridge 2
“Ridgeline was a disaster for us,” the coach said. “Due to a scheduling conflict with the field, our match got moved up, leaving us less than 12 hours to rest and recover before we had to be back on the pitch.”
After enduring 100-degree temperatures for four hours the previous day, less than 10 minutes into the match with Ridgeline the officials called a lightning delay right after the RiverHawksscored the first goal of the match.
“We struggled to find our focus after the delay and could not get any momentum,” Peterson said. Junior midfielder Aly Johns scored both goals for the Falcons.
Aug. 10: Green Canyon 6, Skyridge 4
The following day, the Falcons played Green Canyon on their campus in Logan. “This was a match of grit between two strong-willed teams,” Peterson said. “At the end of the first half, the score was 4-5 for Green Canyon. They would punch and then we would punch.
“We made some adjustments at half and were able to shut down a very fast winger that had created most of their goal-scoring opportunities, but unfortunately by this time our attack had run out of gas with another day of temps above 100 degrees,” the coach said.
Lee had two goals and one assist, Boren scored once with two gives and Beard hit the target once. Senior forward Olivia Southwick added an assist.
Aug. 13: Mountain Ridge 2, Skyridge 1 (OT)
“With a couple days’ rest and a fresh perspective, we hosted Mountain Ridge,” Peterson said. “We knew it was going to be a tough battle because of their history. Our anticipation was spot on. When they scored in the 11th minute, I wondered how we were going to respond.
“Were we going to lose our confidence and deviate from our plan, or were we going to continue fighting and get it back? I was proud of the way they responded,” he went on.
In the 65th minute, Boren tied the match after dribbling through the Sentinel back line and placed a beautiful shot just past the reach of their keeper. “We continued fighting and finished regulation tied at 1-1,” the coach said.
In the sixth minute of a golden-goal overtime period, Mountain Ridge was able to find the target from distance and secure the win.
Aug. 15: Skyridge 3, Snow Canyon 1
Two days later, the Falcons took on the Warriors. “Although we have the advantage against them historically, they have always played us tough,” Peterson said. “They didn’t disappoint. We, however, encouraged one another to get back to our winning ways.”
Boren got the scoring started in the sixth minute with the first goal of the match. Snow Canyon responded four minutes later to draw even.
In the 33rd minute, Condie was able to break through the back line and punch it in, giving the Falcons a 2-1 lead. In the 64th minute, Lee was able to get a third goal to complete the tally for the contest.
“That essentially took the wind out from under Snow Canyon’s sail, giving us the win that we desperately needed to regain our confidence,” Peterson concluded.
The Falcons open Region 3 play at Pleasant Grove Tuesday (Aug. 27) at 7 p.m. They will host Lehi on Thursday (Aug. 29) at 3:30 p.m.
